How to approach theories of myth in Scripture

A recent article published in the Friday Religion section of this newspaper reviewed The Resurrection: History & Myth, a book by Dr. Geza Vermes. The headline - "Book concludes Jesus' resurrection is more myth than provable" - was meant to catch attention, and had the potential to upset some people.

The article, though, provided a thoughtful reconsideration of our understanding of the central belief of generations of Christians.

We should begin by trying to understand what Jesus' followers believed and understood about his resurrection. There were no live news reports at the time, but there are multiple attestations of what his followers believed they experienced. The earliest record is from Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (15:3-8), in which he tells the Corinthians what was handed on to him at the time of his conversion and recounts his own personal experience of the risen Jesus (I Cor. 15:3-8 and Gal. 1:15-16).

In all of these attestations, Jesus is recognized as the person they knew, but in a transformed appearance beyond anything they had ever experienced. He could appear or disappear at will, but they could also touch him, eat with him and carry on a conversation with him. In none of the accounts is he described in any way as resuscitated human being.

The appearance stories we are familiar with from Easter celebrations were written 40 to 80 years after the event, in different communities, based on stories passed on by believers in those communities. Based on the recollections of members of those communities, the stories are attempts to explain and interpret unique and inexplicable experiences.

(Matt. 28; Mark 16:9-20; Luke 24; John 20; 21) all relate the traditions in their communities. They are all similar in details: Women find the tomb empty, carry the news to the men, encounter and eventually recognize the risen Jesus, who then appears to the larger group.

For some readers, the problem with the article and the book is Vermes' use of the term "myth." In his context, if it is not factual in terms of modern scientific verifiability, it cannot be true. For many Christians today, especially fundamentalists, this approach is more than a problem of explanation; it is an attack on the literal interpretation of the Bible and scriptural inerrancy. There are, however, some other ways of understanding the term "myth" which we will consider shortly.

LITERAL OR INTERPRETIVE?
The fundamentalist position is that the Bible is the literal word of God communicated directly to the authors of Scripture, and so is literally true in all aspects. This "dictation theory" comes from 17th Century Lutheran theologian Johann Quenstedt: "All the books of the Bible, in their original, text are infallible truth and are free from every error... each and everything presented to us in Scripture is absolutely true whether it pertains to doctrine, ethics, history, chronology, topography."
Many evangelical Christians, on the other hand, are content to believe the Bible should be taken literally only where there is no indication to the contrary. They can accept the use of figurative and poetic language when it occurs.

A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Emeritus professor of theology at Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, holds that proper understanding of God's word requires the appreciation of the figures of speech and background of the text. "The task of interpreting the Bible is never finished. Christians must continually strive to understand its meaning correctly and to rephrase it for today's world."

The problem with the term "myth" is our misunderstanding of it. Myth is considered untrue, simplistic and not factual. In our relationship to the world around, us we demand factual, verifiable evidence for understanding of reality. Factuality has become a modern fundamentalism and it is no less rigorous than religious fundamentalism.

However, using this way of seeing makes it impossible to understand the Bible.

For many centuries, Christians accepted the truths of Scripture without concern about factuality; it was a part of their world-view. Factuality disregards any concept of the spiritual in the world, and so led to the "death of God" position in the latter half of the last century. Simply put, ‘If it isn't scientifically provable, it isn't true."

Myth-understanding
In his book, Reading the Bible again for the First Time, Marcus Borg explains that "myth" means something very different in the study of religion. Myths are neither explanations nor primitive science nor mistaken beliefs. Myths are metaphorical narratives to the relation between this world and the sacred. Myths tell about the beginning and end of the world, its origin and destiny in relation to God. They are the mode of expressing reality beyond the physical. They are true even when they are not literally true. Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, myths are used to present God as the creator and sustainer of the universe, his passion for justice and his love for his creation - including us.

Other religions make use of myths in their explanations of the world, and scholars like Joseph Campbell have shown us how people everywhere have used myths to understand the world we live in.

According to the published article, Vermes concludes that, since there was no independent confirmation of the Resurrection event, it must be considered "myth." But that was not quite his point. Actually, in his epilogue, he writes of the transforming power of belief in the miracle, the Resurrection as it lives "in the hearts of men."

As H.A. Frankfurt notes, "Myth is a form of poetry which transcends poetry in that it proclaims a truth." And Marcus Borg said, "Myth is poetry plus, not science minus."

Literal fundamentalists and factual fundamentalists both fail to understand the power and the truth of Scripture because they fail to understand the power of myth.
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William McGee received his bachelor's degree in medieval history and religion from the University of Toronto, Canada. He also earned master's degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario. He has been a teacher and a librarian in three countries for more than 40 years. Contact him at liam_mcgee@hotmail.com.